I sat at my great grandmother’s feet
Watching her patch a quilt, her favorite she said,
So many pretty colors,
Like that of a beautiful rainbow.
There were pinks, blues, purple, and red,
In each square she appliquéd little girls and boys,
Some were wearing bonnets and hats,



A few carried umbrellas and
Others were playing with toys,
Baby dolls, jump-ropes, and bats,
She told me how she had
Pieced them from her children’s worn out clothes
She used blue jeans, and dresses they had outgrown,
I could see the tears well up in her eyes’
I suppose she was thinking about days gone by,



Some memories were happy,
But others made her sad; I watched her cry
She never tired of the questions that
I asked; I enjoyed listening to her
As I sat on the floor,
I was like a sponge absorbing every word;
I wanted to hear more



“One day this quilt will belong to you;
It will be called an ‘heirloom’,
Your very own quilt to put on your bed,
In your very own room, and when you find yourself
Sewing the torn cloth, with needle and thread,
You will remember the love that went
Into making this quilt; you will recall every word I’ve said.”
I liked listening to my grandma reminisce,
“After I’m gone, you take good care of this quilt, so you can pass it on.”
With that, she bent down and gave me a kiss; then we sang a song:
Jesus loves me this I know!



© Janice Bumbalough Marler
June 22, 2006